The Nebraska-Kearney Lopers are looking for their first win streak of the season. The Lincoln Blue Tigers are simply looking for their first win of the season.
The two teams will meet today at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association contest. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.
"Just like everybody else that comes to visit, they're going to come in and they're going to see us as the new kids on the block," Lincoln interim head coach Malik Hoskins said. "They're going to want to make a statement. We expect to get their all, just like everybody else."
Nebraska-Kearney (3-2) has had an up-and-down start to the 2019 season, opening with wins on the road and a pair of losses at home. Last Saturday, the Lopers moved back above the .500 mark with a convincing 45-10 win against Northeastern State.
In its Homecoming win, Nebraska-Kearney piled up 666 yards of total offense, more than triple the total the Lopers had gained a week earlier in a 37-14 loss to Pittsburg State.
Freshman TJ Davis made his first start at quarterback last week for the Lopers. He only completed two passes for 22 yards, but he added 86 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns.
"If you're not disciplined on the defensive side of the football, he is definitely going to take advantage of it," Hoskins said. "He's smart, he reads defenses very well, he reads his keys very well.
"If you give him an inch, he's going to take a yard, and he's going to take that thing to the yard."
Davis took over for senior Alex McGinnis, who started behind center in the Lopers' first four games. He also appeared in last week's game and has thrown for 589 yards and four touchdowns this season.
"TJ is more of a natural runner," Hoskins said. "He's a very athletic kid, whereas Alex was more of your pocket passer. He also did a good job of running the triple-option."
Nebraska-Kearney averages 326.2 yards rushing per game in its triple-option offense. This will be the second straight week the Blue Tigers face the triple-option."Pitt State was more of a condensed triple-option football team, whereas Kearney is a spread triple-option football team," Hoskins said.
"They spread you out to run the football, which creates a lot of natural running lanes."
Nebraska-Kearney has run the ball on 63 percent of its plays. The run game also accounts for more than 70 percent of the Lopers' total yards on offense.
Senior running back David Goodwin is averaging 10.4 yards per carry this season, rushing for 394 yards and three touchdowns. Against Northeastern State, he finished with nine carries for 157 yards and two scores.
"He's a load to bring down," Hoskins said. "He just wears on you as the game goes by. Then, when you start trying to scheme to take him out of the game, that's when TJ hurts you."
Lincoln (0-5) is coming off a 56-14 loss last Saturday at No. 15 Pittsburg State. Although it was initially reported Blue Tigers running back Hosea Franklin had rushed for 244 yards against the Gorillas, the official stats now credit him with 186 yards on 29 carries.
Regardless, Franklin ranks fourth in NCAA Division II with 747 yards rushing on only 109 carries.
"He ran the ball extremely hard," Hoskins said. "He read his keys pretty well and had a really good game."
However, the Lincoln passing game produced just 55 yards, the Blue Tigers missed a pair of short field goals in the first half and the team's only turnover resulted in a 79-yard return for a Pittsburg State score.
"The red zone has been a big focal point this week," Hoskins said. "We got down there a few times, we just couldn't cash in. We're wanting to finish drives on the offensive side of the ball and winning on first down on the defensive side of the ball."
Nebraska-Kearney's defense is led by senior linebacker Sal Silvio, who leads the Lopers with 33 tackles.
"He anchors the defense," Hoskins said. "He's the one that's making the calls."
Manning the front of the Lopers' 3-4 defense are Hinwa Allieu and Blake Schroeder. Allieu, a senior end, has a team-best five tackles for loss and 3 sacks, while Schroeder, a junior end, has 2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
"They're fundamentally sound, they run to the football very well," Hoskins said. "The defensive line is very disciplined, the linebackers are really plugged and they fill the holes very well."
Hoskins noted many of Nebraska-Kearney's backups on defense are just as capable as the starters. Junior David Tolentino, a backup cornerback, leads the team with two interceptions and four pass breakups.
"That's the thing with building a program," Hoskins said. "They're getting there. At one point, they weren't as talented and weren't as good as they are now.
"But I'll tell you what, that coaching staff is doing a heck of a job over there, recruiting guys in there and getting them to play up to their potential. They are stacked pretty much at every position."
Notes: This is the third meeting all-time between these two teams. Lincoln won 34-27 in 2012 in Jefferson City, while Nebraska-Kearney evened the series with a 24-14 win the following season at home. Lincoln's defense forced four turnovers last weekend - three fumbles, one interception - to give the Blue Tigers 16 takeaways in five games. Lincoln scored touchdowns off three of its first four turnovers this season, but the Blue Tigers have only scored points on one of its last 12 turnovers forced. Lincoln safety Cody Alexander (Blair Oaks High School) is one of three players to lead all of Division II with three fumble recoveries. Lincoln quarterback Chancellor Johnson left last weekend's game in the second quarter with a bruised arm, and Desmond Hunter took over for the rest of the game. Hoskins said Johnson will start today's game behind center.
Related Media: Lincoln Blue Tigers Football Podcast [Nebraska-Kearney preview, Oct. 12, 2019]